


Double Trouble

by HZeager



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-13 00:07:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29517834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HZeager/pseuds/HZeager
Summary: A One-Shot written by a friend
Relationships: Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody/Poppy Pomfrey, Albus Dumbledore/Minerva McGonagall
Kudos: 1





	Double Trouble

Minerva McGonagall sat in her office, grading the last of her fourth year essays. 

"Another perfect as always, Ms Granger." She thought, marking off her star student's paper. At that moment, and gentle breeze came through the window. It was mid March, and it was the nicest weather Hogwarts had seen since September. The sun was shining bright, and if she had to take a guess, she would say it was in the mid sixties.

A glance at the clock told Minerva it was four thirty. Most of her students had stopped by with their questions by now, and she decided it would be alright to relieve her headache by unpinning her hair until dinner in and hour and a half. Next she released herself from the distortion charm that concealed the evidence of her pregnancy. Sighing, she hunched forward as much as possible with her bump, stretching her back. It was always a relief when she could release this particular charm, the farther along she was the more uncomfortable it grew. It wasn't a complete burden, but after wearing it all day it was nice to take it off. It was almost the equivalent of wearing a corset under a dress. On top of the discomfort brought on by the charm, she had been feeling dull cramps similar to menstrual cramps all afternoon. The absent feeling of the spell was relieving.

After stretching, Minerva picked up her quill and went back to marking the last few essays. It took her a half an hour to finish, and she decided she would take the next hour before dinner to rest her aching back and feet. So rising from her chair, she banished the papers to her desk drawer and made her way through the door that lead from her office to her and Albus's shared quarters, poking into her husband's office-which thankfully was empty-and grabbing a lemon drop. She had never been a fan of the sweets, but upon discovering her pregnancy she found herself becoming rather fond of them. She became craving them pretty regularly, much to Albus's amusement. 

When she finally settled herself on the couch, she reached for the previous week's copy of Transfiguration Weekly which sat of the side table of the sofa. As she flipped through the pages, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. It hadn't been her intention to fall asleep, but that was how Albus found her later. He had come to escort her to dinner, as was habit for them when it came to meals. 

His heart warmed at the sight of his wife lying on the couch, cradling her swollen abdomen with her arms. She looked so peaceful, chest rising and falling at an even pace. He couldn't bear to wake her up. So be it if she was cross with him later, she had been exhausting herself lately. It was taking a larger toll on her body than it normally did. So instead he took the tartan throw that hung over the back of her chair by the fire, and gently draped it over her resting form. 

She was normally a light sleeper, so when he crouched down to place a kiss to her temple and then to her belly, he was sure she would awaken. But she didn't, she only buried deeper under the warmth of the blanket. 

When she woke, the first thing she noticed was that her nap had done nothing to ease the slight cramps she had been having. The second thing was the time. 

"Six forty-five?! Why didn't he wake me?!" She said to herself. But as she sat up she decided she was glad he had let her sleep through dinner. Maybe she would run herself a hot bath to soothe her aching body. 

"What would you think of a bath, leanabh?" She had taken to talking to her baby over the past few months. She had never understood why so many woman would talk to their bumps until she felt the first kick. And as if to tell her they agreed with her idea of a bath, the child responded with a kick. She chuckled softly to herself and stood, making her way to the lavatory. 

~

She heard the faint sound of the door to Albus's office open just as she had settled into the hot lavender scented water. She smiled gently when the bathroom door opened. Albus entered, a plate of dinner in his hand. 

"I thought you might be hungry." He explained, summoning a small table next to the bath tub. Minerva eyed the meal placed next to her. 

"I'm not sure if I'm all that hungry yet." She reached for the dish and poked around at the food for a little bit before placing it back on the table. 

"Now, are you going to tell me what's the matter?" Albus asked as he sat down on the floor behind the tub, reaching to massage Minerva's shoulders. She purred with delight at the sensation, letting her eyes fall closed. 

"Nothing's the matter, all these late nights and early mornings this week are catching up is all." 

Albus raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I could tell that much when I found you on the sofa. So no pain or discomfort?" Minerva hesitated slightly before answering.

"No." 

"Minerva." Albus started. "You should know better than to lie to me. I know you too well." He took her chin and gently turned her head to face him. 

"No, I haven't had any real pain. Just the usual sore back and aching feet." She left out any mentions of the cramps for now. "As for discomfort, you should know by now that's inevitable when it comes to pregnancy." She said a bit irritably. 

Albus nodded in understanding. "Anything else?" He added knowingly when Minerva shifted a bit uncomfortably.

"Oh just a few infrequent cramps, just more braxton hicks, I suppose." She muttered. She was experiencing another dull cramping sensation, taking notice that it was slightly stronger this time.

"Minerva," Albus started disapprovingly. "Maybe you should go see Poppy." Minerva suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. 

"Don't be absurd, I just saw her yesterday and she told me if anything, I'll carry past my due date. However if it puts your mind at ease, I will see Poppy. If they turn into anything more that is." 

"That's all I can ask. Thank you." Albus kissed her temple. 

When she had gotten out of the bath, she had another pain, this one stronger than the one before. But because she was so stubborn, Minerva decided she would retire for the evening. She was surprised to find how tired she was, and at 7:30, she fell asleep for the night. 

~

Minerva jolted upright in bed. A twinge of pain had woken her up she thought, but just as soon as she felt it, it had passed. She thought perhaps it was just a particularly forceful kick from her overly active child, after all the pains she had been feeling earlier weren't that strong. She lazily rubbed her hand over her swollen abdomen. Then she reached for her spectacles, putting them on and then glancing at the clock. 1:18. Carefully so as not to wake her husband, she slid from the the warm covers of the bed and stepped into her slippers. 

"Mmmm, what's the matter, dear?"

Albus murmured, sleep still heavy in his voice. 

"Nothing darling, I just need to use the loo." Minerva whispered and then crept across the room to the bathroom. After finishing her business, she found herself wandering into Albus's office, and taking one of the lemon drops from the dish on his desk. 

When she plopped the lemon drop in her mouth, she began making her way back to her chambers. Just before she reached the door connected to the bedroom, Minerva let out a gasp as she felt a sudden gush of liquid flow from between her legs. A brief moment of confusion passed before realization set in. Her eyes widened and she brought her right hand to her mouth. Her water broke. 

When the initial shock had faded, the witch let out a sigh of frustration and flicked her wrist, banishing the mess on the floor and between her legs. She then proceeded to the bedroom to wake her husband. 

"Albus." She spoke gently, but firmly. "Albus, wake up." 

"Mmmmm." He rolled over onto his side, turning his back to her. She sighed, her patience slipping just a bit. 

"Albus." She said again, this time with more force. That seemed to do the trick, because he sat up in bed groggily. What she was about to tell him, however, would be sure to snap him awake.

"What, dear?" He said as he stretched his arms out and then rubbed his eyes. 

"It's time." She stated simply.

Albus's brow furrowed. Then he glanced at the clock. 

"It's nearly 1:30 Minerva, whatever do you mean?" Minerva gave a quiet chuckle. Then she took one of his hands and placed it atop the bump where their child rested. 

"No, Albus. It's time." The corners of her lips turned up ever so slightly as he sat up immediately and gaped at her with wide eyes. 

"Minerva, are you sure?" He heard himself ask as he brought his other hand to her middle and began rubbing affectionate circles over it. 

"My water broke in your office." Albus gave her a grin.

"And what were you doing in my office, may I ask? I certainly hope you weren't stealing from my stash of lemon drops again." 

"I did nothing of the sort!" Minerva said, feigning a hurt look. Her facade quickly turned into a grimace and she squeezed her eyes shut, blindly searching for Albus's hand with her own. 

"What? What's happening?" The worry was evident in Albus's voice. Minerva took a few short breaths before responding. 

"I think,.. I believe that was my first real contraction." She sounded unsure.

"Real?" Albus questioned.

"I guess those pains I was having earlier were contractions. They were awfully small, though." 

"Well I suppose we should call Poppy, don't you think, dear?" 

"I suppose so." She grumbled. 

"Come now, don't act so glum. Our little girl is finally ready to join us." Minerva raised one of her slender eyebrows. 

"Oh, so it's a girl, is it?" The corners of her mouth turned up a bit. 

"Absolutely!" Albus's eyes twinkled. "And she's going to be beautiful. Ebony hair and emerald green eyes, just like her mother."

"Well," Minerva began. "I think it's going to be a boy. With the brightest blue eyes and auburn hair. He'll be giving your looks a run for their money."

"Well I guess we'll find out soon enough who's right." Albus chuckled, not wanting this to turn into a serious argument that would get under his wife's skin. 

"You get comfortable, and I will go floo Poppy." He kissed her on the forehead and then stood from the bed. Stepping into his slippers and pulling his dressing robe on, Albus crossed the room to the large fireplace. He took a pinch of the powder on the mantel, and threw it into the flames. 

"Poppy?" He called, sticking his head into the fire. He called her name a few times more, growing louder each time until the mediwitch appeared before him. 

"For Merlin's sake Albus, what could you possibly need at this hour? Don't tell me it's Minerva!" She spoke over her shoulder as she threw a dressing gown on over her night gown. 

"I'm afraid it is." Was the reply Albus gave.

"She hasn't shown any signs of going into labor any time soon, and I just checked her over the other morning!" She said incredulously. 

"Just give me five minutes to get dressed and gather my things." She said before disappearing with a pop. Albus stood from the fireplace and moved to the bed beside Minerva. He placed his hands on her stomach and leaned down to kiss it. Minerva smiled and ran a hand through his silver hair. He was going to be an amazing father. 

"Poppy is on her way." He said, his voice muffled. 

"Albus?" 

"Yes, dear?" 

"Would you bring the chess table in here?" Confusion shone in Albus's eyes at her odd request. 

"Of course, but might I inquire why?" He pushed himself off the bed and started for the door to the sitting room. 

"Well we're going to have a bit of time on our hands before the baby comes. It would get rather dull if there was nothing to do in the meantime." Albus nodded in understanding, then took out his wand and levitated the table which the chess board was on into the room. He placed it down directly next to Minerva's side of the bed. Then he levitated a chair for himself, and sat down on the opposite side. 

"Shall we start a game now?" Albus asked mischievously as he made the first move. By his second turn, the fireplace flared and Poppy stepped out of the flames. 

"Alright Minerva, let's see what's going on. I'm not convinced your not just experiencing false labor."

"Poppy, my water broke." Minerva said as she rolled her eyes. The mediwitch raised an eyebrow.

"Well than it would appear not." 

Poppy took a few short steps to Minerva and gave her wand a quick wave, casting a diagnostic spell. 

"How many pains have you had?" Poppy muttered, continuing to cast various spells upon the pregnant witch. 

"I've been having small cramps since lunch, but they were so small I had assumed they were just braxton hicks." Minerva explained, and received an disapproving look from Poppy. "And I don't suppose you thought to time these and calculate their regularity?" 

"I guess not,-" 

"How recent was the last one you had?" 

"I had one that woke me up, and then I had another about ten minutes after that. That was ten minutes ago." 

"Mmhmm, and when did your water break?" Poppy asked, finishing up her spells and sheathing her wand. 

"Fifteen minutes." 

"Well," the blonde witch began, "The baby is still playing hide and seek. I'm afraid we're going to have to play this by ear and hope for the best." 

"What do you mean by that, Poppy?" Concern was written across both parents' faces.

Minerva's pregnancy had been a rather shocking surprise. After several years of trying and failing to have a child, the couple had come to the conclusion that they just weren't meant to have children. 

Several months ago, Minerva had started having random episodes of nausea that caused her to make many sudden dashes for the ladies' room. Her period had been a couple weeks late, and initially she thought nothing of it. She put it off as stress and lack of sleep brought about by the Potter boy's participation in the Triwizard Tournament. But after a few days of sickness and losing her appetite for her favorite foods, her uncertainties got the better of her. Minerva Mcgonagall was known for her stubbornness, and when it came to the hospital wing she stayed as far from the place as possible. So Poppy was completely dumbfounded when Minerva marched in and told her she had a dilemma, and further more when she demanded the conversation be continued in the privacy of her office. 

"Clearly it must be important, if you've come here by your own free will. What on earth's come over you?!" The mediwitch spoke when she finally recovered from the shock.

"That's why I came to see you, Poppy." Minerva responded, an edge of sarcasm in her voice. 

"I'm going to need symptoms before I can properly diagnose you." Poppy retorted dryly as she conjured a quill and a spare piece of parchment. 

"Well, the most recent have been the nausea and loss of appetite. But I've been feeling a little run down lately as well." Poppy's eyebrows knit together as Minerva went on. "How long have you been having these bouts of nausea?"

"Nearly every morning like clockwork for the past two weeks." Minerva put her face in her hands. "And one last thing," She hesitated. "I'm late." She muttered into her hands. The scratching of the mediwitch's quill came to a halt, and Poppy tried to catch her friend's eye. But Minerva refused to look up. 

"Minerva, I don't mean to frighten you, but it sounds to me as if-"

"You don't think that crossed my mind?" She hissed, finally lifting her head. Then she sighed. "It's not possible, Poppy." 

"Min, that's not true. It's not likely, but it is possible." 

"Would you just do a quick spell? I have other matters to attend to today, I've wasted enough time as it is." Poppy could hear that Minerva's patience was wearing thin, so she nodded in agreement. As she muttered the incantation to the spell, an odd light began circling around the dark-haired witch, and settled in front of her abdomen before turning a brilliant shade of green. Poppy covered her mouth with her hand in shock. 

"Minerva!" She squealed when she saw that her friend was standing with her eyes shut tight. She seemed to have no intention of opening them up soon. 

"Minerva, look!" She still didn't move. 

"Oh for Merlin's sake Minerva, would you please open your eyes?" Poppy rose her voice with impatience. Minerva took a long shaky breath and reluctantly opened her eyes. Her mouth went dry as she took in the green light. Of all the times this spell had been used on her, never before had it resulted in a green glow. 

"Minerva, you know what that means, don't you?" But Minerva couldn't speak. She opened her mouth several times only to close it again. 

"Poppy," Began Minerva, "How? How could this happen?" 

"Well if you don't know how, then it appears we need to sit down and have a little chat." Her friend chuckled. 

"Wit doesn't become you." Minerva snapped. Her features softened as her mind drifted back to the subject at hand. "I just can't believed I'm pregnant, after all these years I'm going to be a mother." Poppy closed the distance between them and embraced her friend. 

"Congratulations, Min. I'm so happy for you." She patted her friend on the back. "Now I do believe you have news for Albus. Off you go." She began pushing Minerva towards the exit of her office. 

"Thank you, Poppy." Minerva turned and hugged her best friend before heading for her classroom. As excited as she was to tell her husband that he was to be a father, she had classes to teach. It would have to wait until later. 

~

"How was your day, dear?" Asked Albus that evening after they had retired to their chambers for the night. 

"Oh, it was alright. I got a wee bit of a shock, I will say." Minerva responded. She could hardly contain her excitement. 

"Is that so? And what might that be?" Albus raised one of his silver eyebrows. He had been brushing through his hair and beard, but he set his brush down on the nightstand when she didn't answer right away. He turned to find a glowing smile on his wife's face. "Minerva?"

"Albus," She closed the distance between them, and took both of his hands. "After all these years, we've finally done it." 

"Done what exactly, my darling?" She squeezed his hands.

"We're going to have a baby." Albus's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. 

"No, we were told that wasn't possible." He put his hands on Minerva's shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

"I know what we were told. I also know what I was told this morning, which is that I'm with child." 

"You're sure?" 

"Assuming that the diagnostic spell didn't falter, yes." Albus's eyes shone with merriment and he brought his hands to her waist, hoisting her up and spinning her in the air. She squealed in surprise before letting out a joyful laugh. 

"Oh Minerva." He sighed when he placed her back on her feet at last. He pulled her close and enclosed her lips in a searing kiss. "I love you." 

"I love you too." She whispered with her eyes closed in blissful contentment.

~

From the very first check-up Poppy knew something was off with this child. Off, but not necessarily wrong. It was as if the baby was hiding behind a shield. It kept Poppy from seeing the gender, and even hearing the heartbeat. This complication had caused quite a scare until the child began making its presence known with kicks. 

"Due to the complication we discovered a few months back, if the baby were to be in the wrong position, we wouldn't know until the very last minute. And by then additional complications could arise, and an already strenuous process could become intensified. Hopefully, it's nothing we'll have to worry about."

"Poppy, what are the chances that something happens?" Minerva asked with slight trepidation. 

"I'm not going to lie, I'm not going to be able to tell if the baby's heart rate drops if I can't hear it's heartbeat. And you going into early labor certainly doesn't make your chances of a smooth delivery any better. There's the possibility that the child hasn't had enough time to turn into the correct position. That's not to say that this won't be a perfectly normal birth though. We just don't know, Minerva. But I promise you, I will do everything in my power to make sure nothing happens to you or your baby." Poppy finished with a huff. Minerva merely nodded and sunk back down against the pillows, looking to Albus for reassurance. 

"Everything will be fine, Tabby. She's a strong one." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. She was in such deep thought that she didn't even argue back about the baby's gender.

Suddenly the witch's breath caught in her throat and her eyes squeezed shut. Her breathing became irregular and she brought both hands atop her belly. Poppy was at her side in an instant. 

"Just remember your breathing Minerva, that's it." Poppy coached, and brushed the black locks of hair out of her friend's face. When the pain had appeared to cease, Poppy made her way to the end of the bed. 

"I just need to see how dilated you are. Albus, why don't you put her hair up for her?" The father-to-be nodded and began putting her long hair into a braid while Poppy lifted the ends of her friend's gown and made her examination. 

"You're only 2 centimeters dilated, you've got quite a bit of time on your hands before this one's born." The mediwitch informed. "I hope you have something to do while you wait. In the meantime however, I need you to time your contractions. Keep track of how much time passes between them and how long they last." The parents-to-be nodded in understanding.

"What do you say we continue our game?" Albus nodded his head towards the chess board. The corners of Minerva's mouth turned up a bit as she took her turn

~

"How have you been feeling?" Poppy asked Minerva late one evening. It had been 2 weeks since she was told of her pregnancy, and now Poppy had come to her and Albus's quarters for tea, and to give Minerva her first check-up.

"Nauseous." Came Minerva's short reply. She was lying on her bed, robes opened just enough to expose her stomach. Poppy cast a few simple spells, followed by more complex ones. At the last one, however, her brow furrowed slightly and she bit her lip. She cast the same spell again.

"Is something wrong?" Minerva asked as she caught a glance of the mediwitch's face. When she didn't answer right away, Minerva tried to sit up. When she finished the spell for the second time, she let out a gasp. 

"Poppy," Minerva's voice began shaking, "tell me what's wrong. Please." Poppy gently but firmly pushed her friend so that was lying down again. 

"I didn't mean to frighten you, that was unprofessional. I'm sorry."

She finally answered. 

"What's wrong with my baby?" Minerva asked once more in a voice that she normally reserved for her more mischievous students. Poppy sighed.

"Nothing is wrong." She began, ignoring the fierce glare sent by Minerva, "This is just a very rare and special case. The kind that you hear about in a story and doubt whether it's the truth or not. There are so few occurrences that some categorize it as a myth. Your baby has somehow formed a forcefield, a barrier if you will, around itself." 

"A barrier?" 

"Yes, that would be the best way to think of it. He or she is there, I can see that they're hiding behind a shield, but I can't see the baby itself. I also can't pick up a heartbeat. That doesn't mean there isn't one," Poppy added quickly when Minerva became panicked again, "But I can't hear it because of the shield." 

"So everything is okay?" Minerva sighed as relief flooded over her. Poppy hesitated to answer again. 

"For now, yes." Minerva blinked. 

"For now?" 

"When the time comes for you to deliver, there are small and not uncommon complications that could occur. But I don't want you stressing yourself out right now. So we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Minerva nodded numbly when she finished. 

"Aside from that you appear to be about 13 weeks along, and as far as I can tell, the baby is perfectly healthy." Minerva mutely nodded again. 

"And you're sure it will be okay?" She asked with finality in her voice. 

"Positive. And I can confidently tell you that this child will be extremely powerful." 

~

6 hours later 

"Check." Albus was practically bouncing in his seat with giddiness. It had been a long time since he had come even close to beating his wife at chess. 

"What? W-when did......you move your rook th-there?" Minerva asked, still trying to catch her breath from her most recent contraction. 

"A few turns back love."

"Oh." A frustrated look overtook her face. "Damn these pains, I must be loosing my focus." She moved her queen over, blocking Albus's path to victory. 

"T-timeout," Minerva breathed, and she grabbed her husband's hand across the board. Her eyes were closed tight and she let out a groan, completely oblivious to everything around her. In the midst of this contraction, Poppy emerged from their small kitchen with a tray of tea and biscuits. She placed the tray on the bedside table and began filling the teacups. After handing one to Albus and setting one back on the bedside table for Minerva, she filled a third for herself and sat down at the foot of the bed. Minerva allowed her breathing to slow and rubbed soothing circles over her bump. 

"Drink. It's best you stay hydrated." Poppy gestured to the teacup. Minerva reached for the cup. "Could you hand me a biscuit, please?"

Minerva asked the other witch. 

"Nope." Came Poppy's firm response. "You aren't allowed to eat." Minerva's face deadpanned and she suppressed an annoyed sigh.

"Thank you for the tea, Poppy." Albus brought his wife's hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. Then he heaved a sigh. 

"They're getting longer, I presume?" Asked Poppy.

"Oh yes." Said Albus. "They're lasting about 40 seconds." 

"Well then perhaps it's time to see how you're progressing." The mediwitch stood, placing her tea back on the tray and moving towards the end of the bed again. After a few seconds, the witch on the bed let out a gasp of pain. She began humming, which turned into an open mouthed moan as the peak of her contraction passed. 

"You're at 4 centimeters." Informed Poppy as she brushed her hands on her apron. 

"I C-could have s-sworn it would be...a more significant amount than th-that." Minerva panted through her protesting.

"Yes, well, every witch is different. Unfortunately it looks as though you're going to have quite a long labor." Minerva groaned as Poppy spoke, this time with annoyance rather then pain. 

"How far apart have they been?"

"That was the closest they've been yet. It was a gap of 2 minutes on the dot." Came Albus's response, his gaze was fixed on the piece of parchment that they had been recording the information on.

"I suggest you get up and walk around a bit. Even if it's just in this room, it might help speed things up a tad. Also Minerva," Poppy continued, "On the next contraction, I want you to try something different. I want you to chant all your vowel sounds, ay, ee, i, oh, oo." Minerva nodded. Then she twisted to face her husband. 

"I suppose I could get up and stretch around about, I could use the loo while I'm up as well." Albus agreed. He stood and offered her a hand when she struggled to stand, which she of course denied. "Honestly, I'm not crippled." She scolded when she was finally on her feet. She winced however when her next pain started working its way from her lumbar around to her abdomen. "On second thought," she breathed, reaching for Albus's shoulders and leaning on him through the pain. 

"Very good darling, breathe. Do your chanting." Albus rubbed small circles into her back. 

"Please s-stop talking." Minerva moaned. 

"He's right Minerva, use the vowels." Poppy defended the wizard when he looked up at her helplessly. "Albus, press her hips together and sway them. That's it, just back and forth right like that." She instructed next. He obeyed, and he could feel Minerva's grip on his shoulders loosen immediately. Not completely, but just enough to allow his blood to flow freely again. 

"I-I need to lie d-down." Minerva groaned into Albus's robes. He gently rubbed her back. "As you wish." When the pain had ceased, he helped her settle back into bed. 

"I don't think that did much good, Poppy." The dark haired witch sighed. 

"Walking generally moves things along, but as I said before, every witch is different. If you feel walking causes more physical exertion than you would like to spend, then maybe it's best you just wait things out in bed." 

"I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I'd prefer to stay in bed." 

She leaned back against the pillows and allowed her eyes to close, only to snap them open and sit up in realization. 

"My classes, Albus, they've started by now already. What will the students-"

"Minerva." Albus interrupted, gently pushing her back into the pillows."I've already taken care of it. Severus has agreed to fill in for your first through fourth years, and Filius for the fifth through seventh years."

"And I hope you have Severus strict orders to leave assigning and grading to me, he is merely providing supervision when I am unable to."

She said, stubbornly crossing her arms. 

"I'm sure Severus is capable of restraining himself." Albus chuckled. 

"He'd better." Minerva huffed. "I don't appreciate his unfair treatment of the students outside his own house." Albus sat down on the bed beside her and draped an arm over her shoulders. She turned and snuggled into his side, accepting the warmth he radiated. As he started rubbing her back he could feel her small frame go rigid.

"It hurts." She whimpered between shallow breaths. It broke Albus's heart to hear his wife's voice so meek and helpless, and so he did his best to sooth her as much as possible. 

"Shall we continue our game?" He whispered in her ear, and she merely nodded. A few plays were made, and when the next contraction had passed, it was Albus's turn. A triumphant grin took its place on his features. 

"Checkmate!" He called victoriously, practically bouncing in his seat with joy. Meanwhile Minerva sat frozen, eyes darting from the board to Albus. She had left her king wide open. Never had she made such a careless move as she obviously had her last turn. 

"H-how? When did you,...How did you,..." She sputtered. Then she scowled at her husband, which was powerful enough to make him cower back to his chair opposite her. 

"I want a rematch." She growled, flicking her wrist and resetting the board. It was not in her nature to lose, and accepting defeat was not an option. 

"Very well, I shall give you a second chance." Albus said as he crossed his arms presumptuously, but then quickly put his head down and his arms at his sides as he caught a glance of his wife's face. 

"Don't you think you should be catching up on sleep instead?" Poppy raised her eyebrow amusedly. 

"Don't worry, this will be a quick game. It's not as if I could sleep at this point anyway." Minerva said, but she never looked away from the chess pieces in front of her.

~

10 hours later

"-ah, oohh, oooo, aaaye, eeee, aahh, oohhh ooooooohoohooo-" Minerva moaned, the bedsheets clutched tightly in one fist and one of Albus's hands in the other. The past several hours had been uneventful for the most part. The chess game had come to a stalemate, and contractions had kept a steady pace of 3 minutes apart. It wasn't until recently that things had started picking up. Contractions had become even more painful, and the time between them became 1 minute. The last time Poppy had checked her, she was 7 centimeters dilated. That had been about an hour ago, and now at 6:23 pm, Minerva was finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

The very second the pain released her, she turned her attention back to the chessboard. 

"Check!" Albus spoke excitedly. 

"What?!" Minerva screeched. "You have got to be kidding me!" 

"Oh would you two give it up already? You've been at this for hours." The witch making some last minute preparations called from the opposite side of the room. 

"NO!" The couple simultaneously shouted at the mediwitch's suggestion. Poppy held up her hands in surrender, an amused smile on her face. "You're going to have to set your game aside at some point if it carries on much longer. I have a feeling your time isn't too far off." 

"Yes, yes of course,..." Minerva muttered, not even lifting her gaze from the chess board. The blonde witch shook her head chuckling at her friend's competitive spirit. 

None of the words the other witch spoke were digested by the pregnant witch, the only thing that mattered at the moment was winning this damn chess game. Minerva double and triple checked to make sure she wouldn't open her king to other attacks before moving her bishop to block it. As she withdrew her hand from the board, she could feel that familiar ache creeping through her back to her stomach. She grit her teeth and reached for Albus's hand. She began running soothing circles over her child, but as her labor pain grew in intensity she hunched forward, clutching her abdomen.

"It's all right, Poppy says we're almost done,-" 

"We?!" Minerva scoffed, opening her eyes to throw her husband a glare. But what she saw only added fuel to her fire.

"ALBUS PERCIVAL WULFRIC BRIAN DUMBLEDORE!" She screeched at the sight of her husband switching two of his pieces on the board. 

"Have you been cheating this whole time?!" She seethed.

"I-uh,..."

"I cannot believe you right now!"

"Minerva, I-"

"NO! GET OUT!" 

"W-what?" He asked softly as if he hadn't heard what she said. 

"YOU HEARD ME! OUT!!" Her voice cracked with pain. Albus gave her one last look to make sure she was serious, but she had already squeezed her eyes shut and continued panting. And so he turned, dragging himself out of the bedroom they shared. He felt a gentle but firm hand on his shoulder when he had reached the doorframe, and turned to find Poppy.

"It's just the pain talking. Combined with that Scottish temper, of course. Give her some time to cool off. Grab something to eat - but do not, I repeat, do NOT bring any food back in there with you. Not unless want to lose a limb. Remember, she hasn't eaten in over 24 hours." Albus nodded sullenly and made his way to the small kitchen in the quarters. He made himself a sandwich. It wasn't until that moment that he realized how hungry he was. After devouring the first, he made himself a second sandwich. A knock at the door interrupted him before he could finish. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Perhaps it's Severus dropping bye with his usual complaint of the day." He thought to himself.

"Just a moment please." He called, pausing to wipe the jelly from his face. When he finally allowed the door to swing open, he blinked, thoroughly confused.

"Miss Granger?"

"Oh, Professor Dumbledore. I'm sorry, I was just looking for Professor McGonagall, it appears I have the wrong room,-" The young girl stammered, obviously thrown by the headmaster's presence.

"No Miss Granger, you have the right room. Professor McGonagall is ill, she has come down with a mere case of the wizard flu, I was checking up on her just as I'm sure you were." He lied swiftly. She nodded understandingly.

"ALBUS!" Minerva's cry rung from the room down the hall. Poppy's head poked out so Albus could see. 

"We're getting close, you might want to march your behind in here. She's-" she came to an abrupt halt at Albus's frantic look, and he stepped aside to reveal the student standing at the door. 

"Just,...you understand?" She closed the door behind her without waiting for his response. Albus could faintly hear her placing a silencing charm on the room. 

Slowly, the headmaster turned back to the fourth year at the door. She looked confused, but also looked as if she didn't want to pry. "I'm afraid I must leave you, I'm needed elsewhere at the moment,..." 

"I understand, sir. Tell her I hope she feels well soon." She said before turning and leaving. Albus stood still for a few moments before jumping into action, slamming the door shut and bounding toward the bedroom. 

"Oh Merlin," Minerva breathed, feeling that pain that she had grown so accustomed to within the last several hours building up again. Only this time, that pain was accompanied with an unfamiliar sensation. This time the pain was combined with pressure. 

"P-Poppy," She exhaled. "I th-think he's...coming." The mediwitch became alert and rushed over to check her for what would be the final time. 

"Ten centimeters. Someone's finally ready to meet their mummy." Minerva let out a sharp cry and called desperately for her husband.

"I have to p-push!" Albus heard Minerva shriek as soon as he reentered the room. He hesitated for a moment as he took in the scene before him. Poppy was perched at the end of the bed examining Minerva. His wife was writhing in agony, bedsheets clutched tightly in her fists. Strands of ebony hair escaping her braid were plastered to her face. Sweat glistened on every portion of skin exposed and her nightgown was soaked. The sight of blood on the sheets was what made Albus nauseous. Blood and gore had never bothered this man, but the fact that this blood was coming from Minerva, his Minerva, was enough to sicken him. It was hard to believe he had only been gone for ten minutes. Perhaps it was only his imagination, but it felt as if his wife had progressed more noticeably in those ten minutes than in the previous seventeen hours. He was snapped out of his daze by another heart wrenching cry. 

"No Minerva, do not push yet." Poppy ordered. "Albus, take her hand!" She barked when she noticed his hesitation. Minerva stretched her hand out desperately towards her husband. 

"Now crawl behind her and support her." She called, never lifting her gaze from her work. The wizard obeyed, and when he was settled begin his wife, he offered his hands on either side for her to grasp. 

"Merlin, this is really happening." Minerva said to Albus in a breathy voice. He squeezed her hand in a comforting way. "It is. She's almost here." He whispered into her ear. 

"You mean he." She grinned wearily.

"Whatever you say darling. We'll find out soon enough." He drew her hand to his mouth and kissed it. Minerva's sharp intake of breath announced the next contraction. 

"C-can I push now?" She begged, looking for Poppy's okay.

"Yes. Push, Minerva." Poppy instructed. Minerva gripped her husband's hands with more strength than he knew she possessed and bore down. 

"Good. Keep going." When the contraction had subsided, Poppy told Minerva to take a break until the next contraction. She released a strangled groan and hunched forward as the next pain hit, tuning out Poppy's counting. 

"Excellent! I can see the head, the baby has auburn hair, Minerva!" Poppy told her patient excitedly. "Keep pushing!"

Albus whispered words of encouragement to her while he gently nuzzled her neck. "Did you hear that? She's almost here, just a little further darling." She nodded vehemently, bearing down once more and letting out a strangled grunt. 

"Stop pushing, Minerva." Poppy muttered, eyebrows furrowing slightly. Minerva, oblivious to what Poppy was saying, did the opposite.

"Minerva, stop pushing. Now!" She said, this time with demanding finality. Minerva pried her eyes open at the tone of Poppy's voice. 

"Why?" She questioned, her voice unsure. When Poppy gave no answer, she felt her stomach drop with anxiousness. "Poppy, tell me what's wrong!" She tried her best to sound demanding, but it had sounded more like pleading. 

"The cord is wrapped around the baby's neck. Minerva, I need you to cooperate. Do not push under any circumstances until I tell you otherwise, the baby's losing air and I need to unravel the cord." 

"Wh-wha, Poppy," Minerva stuttered, her level of panic spiking dramatically. The healer never answered, she was in deep concentration. Minerva whipped her head around to face her husband. 

"He can't breathe, he's dying. Get him out, he's dying," She gasped almost incoherently. 

"Stop fidgeting, Minerva!" Poppy snapped. The other witch stilled her movements as much as possible, but couldn't contain the sobs of panic that mixed with her cries of pain. After what felt like an eternity to the expectant parents, Minerva was instructed to push again. 

"If you give me one more good push, the baby will be out." Poppy said, looking up to face Minerva. 

Minerva nodded and leaned forward, giving one more push before the child slipped out into Poppy's waiting hands. Minerva fell back against Albus, and the squalling of an infant immediately filled the room. 

"It's a boy!" Poppy smiled, placing the baby on Minerva's stomach and magically cutting the cord. 

"You were right, darling. We have a little boy!" Albus exclaimed, kissing her on the head. She let out a breathy laugh, tears filling her eyes as she drew her son into her arms. 

"Hush now, mo mhac. Muma's got you." She sniffed. 

"Those better not be tears I see, Minerva McGonagall." Poppy joked. Minerva only shook her head. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the tiny miracle she cradled in her arms. Poppy watched the couple coo over their newest addition for a couple more seconds before interrupting. 

"I'm sorry Min, but I have to take him for a moment." Minerva reluctantly sat up, wincing from the dull pain that still lingered in her abdomen. 

"Don't over exert yourself. Lay back down." Poppy told her gently but firmly. Minerva watched as Poppy took her son across the room to the small scale and tub of water she had set up hours ago. 

"Well done, darling. He's perfect." Albus grinned with pride. But when he brought his gaze to his wife's face, he noticed that she was frowning. "Minerva?" 

"Something doesn't feel right." She muttered, shifting against his body. Then she arched her back, letting out a small shriek. 

"Poppy, should I s-still be having c-contractions?" She moaned. The witch across the room looked over her shoulder at her friend. 

"What?!" The blonde woman turned and rushed back over to Minerva, pausing only to place the baby boy in his bassinet. After a very quick examination, Poppy let out a laugh of disbelief. 

"You're not done Minerva. There's another baby in there." 

"WHAT?!" Minerva 

"Merlin's beard," Albus muttered.

"I'm going to need you to push again!" Poppy said, rolling up her sleeves. Minerva obeyed, but she noticed that the urge to bear down was absent with the second child. 

When the contraction ended she looked up at Albus.

"We didn't plan for two, what are we going to do? It's going to be hard enough raising one with my teaching position and your position as headmaster,-" 

"And with two there will be that much more of an adventure. We can't very well send one back, now can we?"

Albus said, calming his wife. "This makes up just a little for all those years of trying anyway." Minerva nodded in agreement of her husband's words. 

"I'm so tired, I don't know if I can do this a second time."

"Of course you can, you're the strongest witch I know." She let out a dry laugh, which was cut off by another ragged gasp of air.

~

Another half an hour of pushing passed, but little progress had been made. The only difference was that Minerva decided it was more painful the second time around. She had long ago insisted that Albus go hold their son, who was screaming for his mother. 

"Minerva, I'm afraid the baby may be stuck. This is going to be a little uncomfortable, but I need to see what's going on in there." Poppy warned, and Minerva tightened her grip on Albus's hand. Her husband sat on the bed beside her, holding the baby in his left arm and Minerva's hand in his right. She let out a whimper during Poppy's brief examination. The mediwitch let out a weary sigh as she addressed the issue to her friend. 

"My previous fears have been confirmed, the baby is in a breech position." She paused as Minerva let out an exasperated grunt. "So you have two options, though I strongly suggest the second. First, you can keep pushing to see if you make any progress. Second, I can turn the baby around. Seeing as you don't have much energy left to spend and the baby's heart rate could drop very quickly, I suggest we try to turn the baby. But it's going to be painful." 

"Turn it around. I'm not taking any chances." Minerva breathed. Her friend nodded in understanding and turned her attention back to her work. 

"Try to relax as much as possible." Poppy warned sympathetically. Minerva nodded, closing her eyes and trying to even out her breathing. She suddenly let out a horrible scream. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes. It felt like she was being torn in two and she could just barely hear the sound of Albus's bones snapping under her crushing grip. He cursed under his breath, wincing but not daring to voice his pain. 

"Okay, baby number two is back on track again." Poppy said. "I'm sorry Minerva, but the worst is over. You're on the home stretch now. Push."

Minerva's eyes were closed and tear stains streaked her cheeks, but she tiredly obeyed Poppy's orders. 

"You're going to need to push harder than that. I can just barely see the head, but I think a few more good pushes should do it. 

"No, I can't. I can't," 

Poppy gave Albus a pointed look, and he nodded understandingly.

"You can do it darling. He's almost here, just a little further. This little one wants to see his sibling!" Albus turned the baby in his arms so that his wife could see his face. This gave her all the inspiration she needed and she nodded. 

"I love you Mrs. Dumbledore." He whispered in her ear.

"I-love you t-too." She breathed and bore down for the last time. The baby was out, but there was no crying this time. The new mother's eyes flew open and she forced herself to sit back up. "What's wrong? Why isn't it crying?" 

"Hold on," Poppy muttered, patting the newborn on its back. Then another shrill cry was heard. Minerva gave a teary laugh of relief, as did Albus.

"I'm telling you right now, these two are going to be quite the handful." Poppy said as she cut the cord. 

"Double trouble, eh?" Albus grinned, his eyes twinkling. 

"It's a girl!" She announced, and she took the baby over to be cleaned up and measured. 

"It appears you were right as well, my love." Minerva told Albus. 

"I guess so." 

"There aren't any more in there, are there Minerva?" Poppy joked as she handed the baby girl to its mother. 

"Merlin, I hope not." Came Minerva's response. She looked over the child in her arms, taking in her features.

"She's beautiful." She whispered, tracing her finger over the baby's nose. "They both are." 

"You did so well, Tabby." He said and placed a kiss on her shoulder. 

"Thank you, so did you." She took her eyes away from her children for the first time and caught her husband's gaze. He scoffed. "I didn't do anything." 

"Yes," Minerva assured, "you did. Let me see that," She shifted the baby to her right arm and gently took Albus's broken hand with her left. "Poppy can fix that up right away. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for. I think your pain outranked mine." Minerva didn't protest any further. 

When the placentas had been dealt with, the new parents compared the features of their children. The boy had his father's red hair and blue eyes, but had developed his mother's lips and nose. The girl seemed to be a carbon copy of her mother, with the exception of her eyes. One was emerald green in color, but the other was a bright blue. It wasn't until after she had nursed the twins that Minerva brought up another important matter.

"I suppose we should name them, don't you think?" 

"Perhaps we should." Albus agreed. "We've already decided it would be Malcolm Xavier for a boy, but did we ever settle on a girl's name?" 

"No, I don't believe we did." Minerva paused in thought for a moment, before grinning up at Albus. "What about Lenora? Lenora Ariana?" 

"Lenora Ariana." Albus softened at the notion of naming their daughter after his deceased sister. He repeated it, testing the sound of it. "I love that. Malcolm Xavier and Lenora Ariana." 

At that moment, Lenora's eyes opened and she began wailing

"What, don't you like that name, mo gra?" Minerva yawned, reaching for the baby that was in Albus's arms. 

"I'll take her, you're exhausted." 

"Albus," 

As if on cue Malcolm began crying as well. Albus stood from the bed and gently took the baby boy from Minerva's arms. "You haven't had a decent sleep in over 32 hours. Rest, darling." 

"Yes, but neither have you!" Minerva weakly protested.

"And I haven't just given birth to twins, now have I?" He grinned and kissed her forehead.

"Listen to your husband, Minerva." Poppy jumped in. "Besides, I'm going to check you over one more time and then I'm gonna leave so that you four can get your sleep." 

"Fine." Minerva pouted slightly, watching her husband walk out of the bedroom and close the door behind him. 

~

"Quiet down now, you two." Albus whispered as he gazed down at his children. They were still a little fussy, but they had stopped crying for now. Instead they opened their eyes to look at him, as if they were listening. 

"I know that there are some dark times coming. And there are going to be times that our family will be put in danger. But I want you two to know, that no matter what is thrown our way, I will stop at nothing to protect you and your mother. The three of you mean the world to me, and I would walk through hell before I ever let anything happen to any of you. Now I'm aware that I may not always be around to protect the three of you, so I need to ask you a favor." Albus paused and drew in a shaky breath. 

"If anything happens to me, you two need to be their for your mother. She will protect you two till her dying breath, just as I will. And in return, two pieces of me will still be with her, as a physical reminder of my love for her as well as the two of you. That is all I ask of you." Albus placed a kiss on each baby's forehead, and it wasn't until he pulled away that he realized that they were both fast asleep. The bedroom door creaked closed, and Albus turned to see Poppy with a teary smile. He returned the gesture, and then gestured to the twins, letting her know to be quiet. 

"Congratulations." She whispered, and he thanked her for her assistance before she left for her own quarters. Albus quietly reentered the bedroom to find Minerva asleep. He slowly settled himself on the bed next to her, trying not to disturb her. But no matter how tired she was, she was a light sleeper. His attempts were fruitless. 

"Give me one of them." She mumbled. Albus hesitantly handed her little Malcolm. 

"Thank you for our children." He whispered, kissing her shoulder. He chuckled to himself to see that she had fallen back asleep already. Then realizing he was the only one awake anymore, he let his eyes fall shut, and he was transported into the happy years to come falling sleep with a peaceful smile playing at his lips.

~

"Mummy!" A small girl with blonde hair and bright blue eyes squealed, bounding down the hall as soon as the door closed behind her. 

"Well hello!" Poppy laughed, picking up the two year old girl and setting her on her hip. "I missed you, my petal." She smiled and kissed the small girl on the cheek.

"Where'd you go off to?" Alastor called after his daughter, but understood immediately when he saw that his wife had returned.

"Ah, I missed you too." Poppy said, reaching for her husband and hugging him. After he had greeted his wife, he turned his attention back to his daughter. 

"This little one was supposed to be in bed." He poked the girl in Poppy's arms teasingly. She hid her face in her mother's neck in response.

"Ophelia Rose Moody." Poppy said disapprovingly. The little girl shrank down a bit at the use of her middle name, which was usually reserved for when she was in trouble.

"I wanted to see mummy." Was the child's sheepish excuse. Poppy and Alastor shared a smile. 

"Well then I suppose you're off the hook this once. But you need to go back to bed now." Ophelia pouted a bit, but eventually her parents had gotten her tucked into bed and had retired to their own room for the night.

"So I take it everything went over all right?" Alastor asked as he and his wife sat in bed together. Poppy sighed tiredly.

"Oh you could say that." She nodded her head. "They had a boy," She paused and let Alastor comment.

"Ah, just as I expected. Good for them."

"And a girl." Poppy giggled at the surprise on the auror's face. "Bloody hell." He muttered. "That must have been a shock." 

"Believe me, it was." Poppy chuckled. Then she sat up a bit, turning to face him. "What would you think about having another?" She asked.

"Another child?" He asked, and she nodded. "I wouldn't be opposed to that." He said, closing his eyes and kissing her temple. 

"I'm relieved to hear you say that, because we really don't have any choice in the matter anymore." Poppy said, and Alastor sat straight up, turning to his wife for confirmation.

"You're pregnant?" He asked, studying her with a childish grin. She only nodded in response, returning the kiss that he gave her. 

"I love you so much." He sighed. 

"I love you too." She uttered back.

If anyone had been listening, the last they would have heard was the blissful I love you from the mediwitch before both husband and wife fell into a peaceful sleep.

THE END


End file.
